What's your advice on how to combine your personal life and
career in Hollywood?
Elena Talan
My advice is don’t. There has to be some separation if one
is going to have any life outside of the entertainment industry
and be sane. Of course, out of all of the producers, casting
directors, agents, and managers I know, I don’t really know
any one that does that (laughs). That’s why we have hiatus
twice a year, it forces us all to take a break. If hiatus
didn’t exist, I think most of us would just keep on
working. A person should pick at least one day a week, such as
Sunday, during which they don’t do any business. Its
necessary to have some down time and a personal life outside of
this industry which can be so obsessive and all consuming.
Editor, The Hollywood Sentinel
Thank you Bruce, for this blog and unflinchingly sharing such
knowledge and information with us.
Keep well....
Sincerely,
Dani
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Thanks Dani. Glad you like the website of our online magazine.
Keep rockin’ in Malaysia!
Editor, The Hollywood Sentinel
Dear Moira,
...Tao and I were sharing your story that I explained to him in Chinese. Now I am in Portland Oregon, but I remain in contact with the artist, Tao.
Tao and I appreciated how you so carefully observed his work and expressed well into your writing. His work is so intense and so colorful..it's Tao's wish to remind people the beauty in his water, so he works harder from one to the next...Please feel free to check on his web site of .www.taodongdongart.com His new work will keep posting to this web site.
Glad to stay in touch with you again. Let me know if you have any further questions for Tao.
Fei Chen
Fei, Thank you for recognizing the work that I do in writing about art, and for your continued graciousness. Tao is a talented and fascinating artist. You were so kind to introduce me to his work. Best wishes to you both for continued success and happiness.
Moira Cue, Art Editor, The Hollywood Sentinel
Comments: I love Michael Jackson
Ester
And Michael loves you too Ester, wherever he’s at now.
Thanks for reading.
Editor, The Hollywood
Sentinel
I don't usually search the internet for
articles, someone gave me a link of an article you wrote. You are
a great writer. Is there a place to buy and / or is the
publication available via a hard copy?
Beube
Thank you Beube. May you now become addicted to us
(laughs). That is greatly appreciated. Actually The Hollywood
Sentinel will exist in a hard copy magazine form at a later date,
but for now, we are too busy perfecting its digital form, so that
will have to wait about a year or so. Thanks for reading.
Editor, The Hollywood Sentinel
Great publication! I found the link on my friend Michael
Levine's breaking news today. How to succeed in Hollywood is very
informative and I'm in "manifestation mode!” I have been so
busy producing and lifting my company off the ground...I haven't
sought out an agent for myself. Any suggestions in this current
climate?
Best,
Tracy
Thanks for reading Tracy. The first suggestion is to
know you can get a great agent if you want one. Most in Hollywood
are too stuck on the lie that “getting an agent is
hard” or “agents don’t want to sign any one
now” or “it’s too hard to get an agent after
pilot season or in this climate of the tough economy” or
other such nonsense. The truth is, if any one wants a great
agent, they have to know they will get one, that is the first
step. Believe and know, and then you will achieve if you
do.
The second is planning, so make your top 10 list based on wise
research. Do be realistic with where your skills, credits, and
looks are at. For example, if one has little to offer in terms of
nepotism, has zero creds, and no reel, one should not expect to
get signed with WME. Know your value in the marketplace and do
your research based on that. With that said, value is also
largely perception, so if you portray your value as higher than
it is, then chances are, others will perceive it as such, and before you know it,
your value in the market actually will be higher.
There is a fine line between this approach however, and sounding
insane. Haha. Believe me, I’ve met Superman and Wonder
Woman in my office many times (and no I don’t mean the ones
in costume off of Hollywood Boulevard), but when pressed, those
everything’s they said they could do, turned out to be a
lot of nothing. Know your limits and strengths, and research
accordingly.
The third step is action. Call them, mail them, call them again.
Be polite but be very aggressive. One new client I just signed
sent me an e-mail and then did a follow up call, and then when I
did not call back, called me again. I am busy, so that helped to
put him on the radar, whereas most would have quit after the
first e-mail, and I may have forgotten about them. After he got
my attention, he spent about a month calling me practically
every day, addressing me in a professional manner, telling me how
he knew our company was the best for him. Finally, I started to
remember his name, and I gave his a meeting. You have to be
hugely persistent and aggressive, but polite and respectful.
Also, do not go in to the meeting with an attitude of what they
will do for you. Why? They don’t need you! You need to go
at it like ‘what you can do for them,’ whether
it’s make them lots of money from that work you are already
booking, or let them meet your uncle who is an A-lister and wants
new representation or the like, or, how you will get them that
free airfare plus one to Cannes on that private plane your Dad
owns. You get the idea.
And, when you do get a meeting, or even time with them on the
phone, send thank you notes. Those never go out of style, are
much appreciated, and will set you apart from the crowd. This new
client I refer to, after our meeting, sent me an e-mail the same
day thanking me for my time and interest in him and his career.
That is a wise move. Overall, just believe, plan, and do, and you
can get it Tracy. Best of success to you.
Bruce Edwin
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